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Independent Bookshop Week, is the annual celebration of independent bookshops across the UK and Ireland. With the week taking place between 15 – 22 June 2024, Hachette UK returns as the headline sponsor.

Celebrations take place up and down the country with nearly 700 independent bookshops confirmed to take part. Special events with Shani Akilah, Natalie Haynes, Clive Myrie, Kiran Milwood and more will take place during the week, along with the BookTok Tour returning for the third time, indie twinning between bookshops and publishers, the first ever nationwide Big Book Club, and much more.

About Independent Bookshop Week (IBW)

Independent Bookshop Week (IBW) was launched in 2006 and is part of the Books Are My Bag campaign. It is a celebration of independent bookshops across the UK and Ireland, and the role ‘indies’ play in their communities. At the end of 2023, the number of independent bookshops in BA membership was 1063 shops, up from 867 in 2016. The headline sponsor of Independent Bookshop Week is Hachette UK.

Independent Bookshop Week Book Events

Bookshop Events

North of England

• B For Butterfly Books in Sale will be organising The Big “B For Butterfly Books” Book Quiz on Wednesday 19 June at 7:30pm. Tickets are £10 (over 18s only) and include a goody bag, first drink and entry to the quiz. Up to five people per team and Simon will be the quiz master extraordinaire. You can purchase your ticket here.
• ebb & flo bookshop in Chorley is hosting Clive Myrie in conversation with award-winning journalist Chris Maguire at Bolton Albert Halls on Saturday 15 June at 7:30pm. Tickets are £22 and include a paperback of Clive’s memoir Everything is Everything. You can purchase your ticket here.
• Collected Books in Durham has put together a festival to celebrate IBW with authors including Edith Hall, Lauren Elkin, Clare Finney and Amy Twigg to take place on 16 – 19 June. More info about the festival can be found here. 
• The Book Corner in Halifax will host a book signing with Phil Earle in Halifax’s Piece Hall on Saturday 22 June at 10:00am. More information will appear on their website here.
• Through the Wardrobe Books in Mirfield will host a book signing with Phil Earle after The Book Corner on Saturday 22 June at 1:00pm, with more information to be announced soon.
• Serenity Booksellers in Stockport is celebrating The Gruffalo coming to the bookshop to celebrate his 25^th birthday on Wednesday 19 June between 11:30am and 4:00pm. More info here.
• Truman Books in Leeds is hosting Leeds Lit Fest 2024 which will take place from Saturday 15 June – Sunday 23 June. Events include children’s activities, live music talk with Alice Mcllroy, in conversation even with Stuart Maconie, Ajau Close and many more. More info here.

Midlands

• Kenilworth Books in Kenilworth will be joined by children’s authors, literary novelists, and non-fiction writers throughout the last day of Independent Bookshop Week, Saturday 22 June between 10:30am – 3:30pm. More info here.
• Script Haven in Worcester launches Breathless – Breathe More – a collaboration with artists and poets on Saturday 15 June at 6:00pm. More info here. On Wednesday 19 June at 6:30pm they’re holding a spoken word poetry event to raise awareness for refugees in the local area. More info here. They will also host Lisa Billingham’s book launch for Katie – A New Chapter and Tom – The Next Chapter on Saturday 22 June at 7:00pm. More info here.

East of England

• Yare Books Limited in Great Yarmouth is hosting a book signing by local author and historian Sheila Hutchinson on Saturday 15 June in the morning (time TBC). Weather permitting, they are also holding a BBQ in the yard behind the shop so book lovers can meet over a burger and discuss books which will take place on Sunday 16 June (time TBC). On Monday 17 June at 12:00pm to 2:00pm they’re hosting Lord Russell Baker for a book signing. Finally, on Saturday 22 June, they are hosting a book signing for another local author Heather Peck. 10% of all sales on local history books during the week will be donated to Norfolk Family History Society. More info here.
• Beccles Bookshop in Beccles is hosting an event with Rev Richard Coles on Saturday 15 June at 7:00pm, St Edmunds Church. More info here.

South of England

• Brick Lane Bookshop in London is hosting an evening with author and screenwriter Shani Akilah in conversation with Jendella Benson on Thursday 20 June at 7:00pm to celebrate the release of Shani’s debut short story collection For Such A Time As This. Tickets are £5 and can be purchased here.
• Stanfords in Covent Garden, London will be joined by Jack Cornish to talk about his new book and discover the rich history of Britain’s millennia-old network of pathways on Thursday 20 June at 7:00pm – 8:30pm. More info here. Stanfords will also be doing social media giveaways, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.
• Pages of Hackney in London to host a Guardian Live online book club with Rev Richard Coles, in conversation with Zoe Williams, on Thursday 20 June at 8:00pm. More info here.
• A Mystery London Bookshop Crawl is taking place on Wednesday 19 June. The start point will be accessible by tube and/or overground from central London and you will visit lots of bookshops over the course of 4 hours. Tickets cost £14 and you can book yours here.
• Mostly Books in Oxfordshire is holding a school event with Kiran Millwood Hargrave on Thursday 20 June. They’ll also be hosting an evening with Rev Richard Coles in conversation with Joanna Cannon about his new book, Murder at the Monastery on Saturday 22 June at 7:00pm. More info here.
• Rossiter Books in Cheltenham hosts lawyer and author Harriet Wistrich to talk about her new novel Sister in Law – Fighting for Justice in a system designed by Men on Wednesday 19 June at 7:00pm. Tickets are £9 and can be purchased here.
• Rossiter Books in Ross on Wye to host an evening with foraging course teacher and author Liz Knight on her new book Buds and Blossoms on Thursday 20 June at 7:00pm. Tickets are £6 and can be purchased here.
• St Andrews Bookshop in Great Missenden is holding its first annual Christian Literature Festival within the Churches of Great Missenden where many of the UK’s most loved authors will attend. The festival will take on 21 – 22 June and will run from 9:30am – 8:30pm on both days. More info about the festival and tickets can be found here.
• The Bookshop in Helston will celebrate Emma Cowell’s third novel, The Island Love Song, in conversation with Liz Fenwick on Tuesday 18 June at 7:00pm. More info here.
• Steyning Bookshop in Steyning is holding an evening with Rev Richard Coles and Elly Griffiths, chaired by William Shaw on Monday 17 June at 7:30pm. More info here.

Scotland

• The Bookhouse in Broughty Ferry is holding an evening with Scottish historical fiction authors Kate Foster and Elizabeth Macneal on Thursday 20 June at 7:30pm. More info here.
• Night Owl Books in East Linton will host their book club with Kate Foster and Elizabeth Macneal on Monday 17 June at 8:00pm. Tickets are £20 and can be purchased here.
• The Orcadian Bookshop in Orkney is hosting story time with Sallianne Smales, author of The Smoozles of Orkneyjar series on Saturday 15 June at 10:30am. More info here. They’re hosting another story time with David Flanagan, author of Uncle Pete and The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep series on Saturday 22 June at 10:30am. More info here.
• The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh will have an IBW window illustration designed by Alison Murray to mark the occasion. They’ll also hold a Scottish narratives panel event with Margaret McDonald, Tom Newlands and Juano Diaz on Wednesday 19 June, time TBC. Finally, Julia Armfield will be in conversation with Heather Parry on Friday 21 June at 7:00pm – 8:00pm. More info here.

Wales

• Rossiter Books in Monmouth will host Tiffany Murray in conversation with Jude Rogers about Tiffany’s new book My Family and Other Rock Stars at Bridges Centre on Tuesday 18 June at 7:00pm. Tickets are £9 and can be purchased here.
• Chepstow Books & Gifts in Chepstow is hosting Natalie Haynes, author of Divine Beauty, on Tuesday 18 June at 6:30pm. More info here.
• North Books in Hay-on-Wye is hosting an in-conversation event with Guardian journalist Jude Rogers and author Richard King on Saturday 15 June from 4:00pm – 5:00pm. Tickets are available by emailing the bookshop at Jules@northbooks.co.uk.

Indie Twinning

With its success making it a firmly established strand of IBW, Indie Twinning returns for a fifth year, with independent publishers and independent bookshops teaming up to develop bespoke programmes of activity across the country. Look out for special offers, exclusives, social media take-overs, bespoke bookshop windows and much more.

Confirmed activity includes:

• Fourbears Books in Reading is in partnership with indie publisher b small and the bookshop will have a dinosaur–themed window display featuring a big T Rex
• Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh is in partnership with indie publisher Fitzcarraldo hosting a Fitzcarraldo Editions display and offering Fitz goodies to giveaway including bookmarks, posters, postcards, tote bags and exclusive proofs. They’ll also share staff interviews and reading lists on their social media channels.

Big Book Club

Launching this year, the Big Book Club strand of IBW will celebrate the role of indies in bringing people together via a shared love of reading. The Big Book Club will see indie bookshops across the UK and Ireland holding book club evenings on the same day, on Wednesday 19 June.

Participating bookshops confirmed so far include The Beckenham Bookshop, Booka Bookshop (Bridgnorth), Booka Bookshop (Oswestry), Book-ish (Abergavenny), Book-ish (Crickhowell), The Book Shop (Lee-on-the-Solent), Goldfinch Books (Alton), The Heath Bookshop (Birmingham), Hungerford Bookshop (Hungerford), Jaffé & Neale (Chipping Norton), The Mainstreet Trading Company (Melrose), A New Leaf Book Shop (Slaithwaite), Night Owl Books (East Linton) and Wantage Bookshop (Wantage).

Online Celebrations

For the third year, the Independent Bookshop Week BookTok Tour returns and will see BookTokers across the UK celebrating IBW and sharing content from their much-loved independent bookshops. With BookTokers hailing from across the UK, locations include Coventry, Hertford, County Antrim, Kirkcaldy, London, County Kildare, Milton Keynes, Edinburgh, Watford, Glasgow and Caerphilly.   

UK-based book blogger, Lauren and the Books will host a Cosy Reading Night on Saturday 22 June for the fourth year, to celebrate Independent Bookshop Week. Between 7:00pm and 10:00pm Lauren will be live on Instagram and show her followers what she’s reading, as well as encouraging her followers to share what they’re reading. Lauren can be followed on Instagram @laurenandthebooks and YouTube @laurenandthebooks, and the hashtag for the evening is #CosyReadingNight.

Guest Bookselling

Authors, poets and illustrators are invited to get involved with IBW with Guest Bookselling. Allowing guest booksellers to learn more about a new side of the booktrade and supporting local indies, and an exciting opportunity for bookshop frequenters to have a chance encounter with authors, poets and illustrators, this is a win-win for all!

Confirmed authors doing guest bookselling include:

• Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath will host Emma Carroll, who will be doing a guest bookselling stint in the morning on Sunday 16 June, followed by an event and book signing after lunch. Mr B’s will also be running a preorder offer through the day for Emma’s upcoming book The Houdini Inheritance.
• The Book Corner in Halifax to have children’s author Phil Earle for a day of guest bookselling and signings on Saturday 22 June.
• Kew Bookshop in London will host Pari Thomson, author of Greenwild, as a guest bookseller on either Saturday 15 June or Sunday 16 June.
• Notting Hill Bookshop in London will host Allie Esiri, author of 365 Poems for Life and A Nursey Rhyme for Every Night of the Year, on Sunday 16 June as a guest bookseller.
• East Grinstead Bookshop in Grinstead will have best-selling author Karen Swan as a guest bookseller during Independent Bookshop Week.

Exclusive Poem

With the success of poems created by Brian Bilston, Hollie McNish and Dean Atta, critically acclaimed spoken word performer George Mpanga, known for his artistry as George The Poet, has created a bespoke Independent Bookshop Week poem to support the campaign. The poem will be shared on social media at 6:00pm on Wednesday 19 June.

High Five for Bookshops

High Five for Bookshops, the successful national giveaway from National Book Tokens, is back for a sixth year. The giveaway supports indie bookshops across the UK and Ireland to reward their most loyal local customers.

Bookshops participating in Independent Bookshop Week each receive 100 vouchers with unique codes, which customers can use to claim a £5/€5 National Book Tokens e-Gift card to spend in-store.

Since its launch, High Five has continued to grow year-on-year, with 92,000 vouchers sent to indies in 2023 – a 200% increase since 2019. The giveaway is a valuable, footfall-driving asset to the annual Independent Bookshop Week celebrations.

Bookshop Crawls

All book lovers are once again invited to organise their own Bookshop Crawl to celebrate IBW. The Bookshop Map on the homepage of the Books Are My Bag website is a useful resource to find your closest local indies and plan your route.

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